1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a dreadful hurricane
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2
as in awful
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
a dreadful performance of a beautiful piece of music
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3
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
dreadful news of a crime wave in the neighborhood
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4
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
the dreadful heat of the desert
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5
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
made a dreadful mess of his first marriage
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of dreadful
Twice, a jaw-grinder with dreadful tats scuttles by murmuring, in a serious rush.
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Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
The totality of the Chicago sports experience was just so dreadful.
—Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
On Sunday afternoon, the Packers fell to a dreadful 0-5 in those contests.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Some of these beings are monstrous, dreadful to contemplate.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dreadful 
Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
The totality of the Chicago sports experience was just so dreadful.
—Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
On Sunday afternoon, the Packers fell to a dreadful 0-5 in those contests.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Some of these beings are monstrous, dreadful to contemplate.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dreadful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreadful
Adjective
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Not all of us found powerful metaphors for social change in popular titles, and plenty of terrifying efforts flew under the radar in the genre’s generally high-grossing landscape.Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 1 Jan. 2025
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The prequel brings back Bill Skarsgård to reprise his film role as the terrifying clown Pennywise.Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 30 Dec. 2024
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After missing 27 games with a left hamstring strain, Zion Williamson returned to the court on Tuesday night and provided one of the few gratifying moments the New Orleans Pelicans could savor during an awful season.William Guillory, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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But any Three Mile Island-style tech meltdown would come with awful collateral damage.Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In a Facebook post written in Arabic, Belal Badawi noted the horrific news of his son's death.Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 2 Jan. 2025
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In other horrific news, a 42-year-old man drove his pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street.Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Flames were pushed by intense wind gusts that officials had warned could fuel any spark into a fast-moving and erratic wildfire.Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
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In 2021, a storm killed over 240 people and left millions of residents without power sparking intense backlash for ERCOT.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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That’s the experience the viewer simply must embrace with The Brutalist: giving themselves over to the sheer loudness of it all.David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
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But the sheer scale of what melodic techno DJ, producer, visual artist and visionary Anyma has created at Sphere Las Vegas is something to be experienced first hand.Danny Klein, SPIN, 10 Jan. 2025
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Given this area’s rich history with horrible weather and big events at this time of year, there is still a chance that the Cotton Bowl will be postponed until Saturday.Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025
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How horrible for my sweet little nephews to watch their house disappear like this.Becca Longmire, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
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Things did get ugly a few years later, with the Mexican-American war.Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
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Year 3 has been ugly — his five-on-five points per 60 have nearly been cut in half (2.57 to 1.32), as has his primary assist rate (1.17 to 0.55).Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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The crime and trial fueled a gruesome media circus that drove the Lindberghs to Europe—and Hauptmann to the electric chair. Lindbergh and his wife, Anne, lived on a country estate near Hopewell, New Jersey.Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
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Bring on more implausible shenanigans from Allison Williams’s roboticist and Violet McGraw as her grieving niece, as well as more wild fight scenes, gruesome deaths, and bizarre twists.Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dreadful
Cite this Entry
“Dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreadful. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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